The present invention relates to a robot apparatus for entertainment, and specifically, to a robot apparatus whose modules such as paws, hind legs and head can be replaced without the power off.
As entertainment robots, there have been proposed walking robots designed in the form of quadruped animals with paws and hind legs such as dogs or cats. Such a robot has actuators having a predetermined degree of freedom, mechanisms having displaced in place therein sensors to detect specific physical values and a controller using a microcomputer. When an external command is given to the robot, the controller controls the actuators and mechanisms to work correspondingly.
Such a robot consists of modules including a head, main body, paws, hind legs, etc. Any of these modules can be replaced when it is found defective.
When replacing any of these modules, the conventional robot must be deenergized. However, once it is thus deenergized, data on its current state and also what it has learned so far will unavoidably be lost. Thus, when the power is recovered, it is necessary to have the robot learn from the beginning.
Furthermore, once the power is turned off, the conventional robot has to start from its initialization when the power is recovered, which will take a long time.
Accordingly, the present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a robot apparatus whose modules such as paws, hind legs and head can be replaced without the power off.
The above-object can be attained by providing a robot apparatus including:
one or more driving units; and
a main body for controlling the driving units;
each of the driving units being connected to the main body by a connector having ground, power and data lines in such a manner that the ground line will be disconnected later than the power and data lines when any of the driving units is dismounted from the main body and that it will be connected earlier than the power and data lines when the driving unit is mounted in place again.
With the robot apparatus according to the present invention, the ground line is connected earliest when any of the driving units is mounted to the main body and it is disconnected last when the driving unit is dismounted from the main body. Thus, the robot apparatus is prevented from being troubled circuits in the main body and driving units when replacing any of its modules.